Certified well water labs in South Dakota (2026)

WellTestList · Thursday, October 15, 2026 · state page

South Dakota does not regulate water quality in private wells the way it regulates public systems. The homeowner’s clearest public path is the South Dakota Public Health Laboratory, which posts a full per-test fee table (Total Coliform $20, nitrate $18 — about $38 for a yearly bacteria + nitrate check). New domestic wells must be sampled under the Centennial Environmental Protection Act of 1989. DANR’s certified drinking-water lab list is short, and Midwest Assistance Program offers free well assessments while funding lasts.

The short version

1. Order state bottles — or pick up through Extension. Use the Test a Private Well form, or get bottles from County Extension. Lab contacts: Rea Riggle (Rea.Riggle@state.sd.us) / Kristy Deal (kristy.deal@state.sd.us) at 605-773-3368; toll-free 1-800-738-2301 in South Dakota. Pierre lab: 615 E 4th St.
2. Yearly bacteria + nitrate is about $38–$40 at the state lab. Fee table (checked Oct 15, 2026): Total Coliform $20 · Nitrate $18. After heavy rain, snowmelt, or a flood, DANR says to submit both. New wells need nitrate, coliform, sodium, conductivity, and sulfate under the Centennial Act.
3. For a broader panel, use a DANR-certified private lab or a mail-in kit. Mid Continent (Rapid City), Sioux Falls Public Health Lab (microbiology), and American Engineering Testing (Sioux Falls, microbiology) are on the DANR Laboratory Certification list. Call for homeowner fees — we did not invent packages. Mail-in kits email a PDF if you want arsenic, uranium, or a wider list in one shot.

How South Dakota’s system actually works

Private wells are the homeowner’s responsibility. The DANR Private Well Sampling page recommends an annual bacteria retest, and after heavy rain, snowmelt, or flooding, bacteria plus nitrate. Nitrate above 10 mg/L as N is a concern for infants six months and under and for pregnant women. Average South Dakota hardness runs about 26–50 grains per gallon — hard water is normal here. Softeners raise sodium; keep that in mind if anyone is on a salt-restricted diet.

New domestic wells fall under the Centennial Environmental Protection Act of 1989. Minimum parameters: nitrate, coliform bacteria, sodium, conductivity, and sulfate (well drilling / new domestic well sample). The driller submits the sample if the well flows or the driller installs the pump; otherwise the owner samples when the pump goes in. Use the SD DOH Lab or another approved lab.

After a flood, SDSU Extension’s restoring and sampling private wells guidance says to get a bacteria bottle from a certified lab, disinfect, then test. Don’t treat a chlorinated sample as a valid bacteria check until you’ve flushed.

Options we verified

• South Dakota State Health Laboratory (Pierre), fee-for-service. Full public fee table for private well owners. Key fees from the Environmental Testing Fees page (content last updated Sept 22, 2026 on fetch): Total Coliform $20 · E. coli $22 · Fecal Coliform $16 · Nitrate $18 · Arsenic $23 · Lead $18.50 · Copper $18.50 · Fluoride $16 · Iron $18 · Uranium $26 · Gross Alpha/Beta $55 · Radium 226 $85 · Radium 228 $170 · pH $12 · Hardness $15 (free if Ca+Mg ordered) · Sulfate $17 · Conductivity $12 · Alkalinity $15 · Dissolved Solids $18. Sodium is not separately listed on the inorganic table (the new-well panel uses it — call the lab if you need sodium alone). Yearly bacteria + nitrate ballpark: about $38–$40. Order bottles online or through County Extension. Contacts: Rea Riggle / Kristy Deal, 605-773-3368. DANR cert scopes include Inorganics, SOCs, VOCs, Chlorite, HAA5, Perchlorate, TTHMs, Microbiology, E. coli enumeration. Source: Test a Private Well (page content last updated Oct 5, 2026 on fetch).
• Midwest Assistance Program free private well assessment (while funding lasts). No-cost assessment plus limited free water testing while funding is available. Jackie Luttrell, State Field Manager: 605-237-3370, jluttrell@map-inc.org. Also Jesse Campbell, Private Well Coordinator: 816-676-8610, jcampbell@map-inc.org. Sources: MAP South Dakota · DANR well assessment brochure (PDF). Frame this as limited supply — don’t assume it lasts forever.
• Sioux Falls Public Health Laboratory (521 N Main Suite 100, 605-367-8777, Lisa Kellen-Anderson). DANR-certified for Microbiology only. Call for homeowner acceptance and fees — we did not invent a package price.
• Mid Continent Testing Laboratory (2381 S Plaza Dr, Rapid City, 605-348-0111, Jason Pojorlie). On the DANR list for Inorganics, VOCs, Cyanide, Microbiology, E. coli enumeration, TTHMs, HAA5s, SOCs (except 548 and PCBs), TOCs. Their private well testing page covers Centennial Act new-well testing and asks you to call for a competitive quote — no public homeowner package prices, so we don’t invent them. They mention softeners and RO only as general water-quality advice; they are a testing lab, not a treatment seller.
• American Engineering Testing (601 E 48th St N, Sioux Falls, 605-332-5371, Dan Hanson). DANR-certified for Microbiology and E. coli enumeration. Geotech / environmental testing firm — not treatment sales. Call for fees.
• Other labs on the DANR certification list. Out-of-state labs appear on the list (Energy Labs Billings among them, with PFAS among scopes). DANR’s list is for certified drinking-water methods; call any lab about homeowner bottles and fees before you sample. Source: DANR Laboratory Certification.

What to test for in South Dakota

• Bacteria (total coliform / E. coli): every year, and after flooding, well work, or a change in taste or clarity. State lab Total Coliform is $20.
• Nitrate: every year, especially near farm fields or septic systems. State lab $18. DANR flags >10 mg/L as N for infants ≤6 months and pregnant women.
• New-well panel (Centennial Act): nitrate, coliform, sodium, conductivity, sulfate — required for new domestic wells.
• Hardness, sulfate, iron, sodium: hardness is commonly high (about 26–50 grains/gallon statewide average). Softeners increase sodium.
• Arsenic, uranium, radiochemistry: available à la carte at the state lab (arsenic $23, uranium $26, Gross Alpha/Beta $55, Radium 226 $85, Radium 228 $170). Worth a one-time check if you haven’t done metals or radiologicals.
• Lead, copper, other metals, VOCs, pesticides: order from the state fee table or a certified private lab / mail-in kit when the short yearly panel isn’t enough.

Mail-in kits (for a broader PDF)

These independent labs mail you bottles, run the tests, and email a PDF. Neither one sells softeners. Prices were checked for this update:

• Tap Score / SimpleLab Essential Well: $209 listed (includes arsenic and uranium among 54 analytes).
• National Testing Laboratories WaterCheck Basic: $220 listed. Next-day return shipping isn’t included.

In South Dakota, start with the state lab fee table for yearly bacteria and nitrate (about $38–$40). Ask about MAP’s free assessment while funding lasts. A mail-in kit or private certified lab is for what you want beyond the short yearly panel — metals, radiologicals, VOCs — or when you want one emailed PDF. If a lender needs a sampler-collected, chain-of-custody result, self-collected kits may not count, so ask a certified lab to collect.

Side by side for a South Dakota well

On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

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